special coverage

The 116th Congress is beginning its first session today, and Democrats are now in control of the House of Representatives. Watch the first day of actions live, including the election for House Speaker, which Nancy Pelosi is expected to win, and debate on new House rules.

The Senate is taking a procedural vote on whether or not to move Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination forward. Watch the proceedings on the Senate floor live. Coverage will also be heard on-air. We expect speeches to begin at 9:30 a.m. today.

President Trump is holding a news conference this evening, following the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. In a speech yesterday, Trump defended his "America First" agenda and touted the "tremendous progress" made in negotiations with North Korea.

The press conference comes a day before Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, faces questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee after three women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set to face a second round of questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee today starting at 9:30 a.m. He's expected to be questioned about his views on previous Supreme Court cases, as well as a range of policy issues. Kavanaugh is also likely to be questioned about his work on Ken Starr's independent counsel investigation of former President Bill Clinton, and his time working in the White House under former President George W. Bush.

After weeks of headlines dominated by White House actions on the international stage, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will face questions from lawmakers Wednesday afternoon about how the Trump administration is managing foreign policy.

Live streaming video is expected to start at 3 p.m. this afternoon (below).

The FBI director and several top intelligence leaders are testifying on Capitol Hill about worldwide threats. The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is holding the hearing, is also conducting an inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Watch the proceedings live, here.

Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III, seen as a rising political star with a famous last name, delivered the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union. In announcing their decision, Democratic leaders in Congress called Kennedy a "relentless fighter for working Americans." Kennedy is the grandson of the late Robert Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general and New York senator who was assassinated in 1968. He is also the great nephew of both the late Massachusetts Sen.

President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night, which was followed by a response from the Democratic Party. Journalists across the NPR newsroom have been annotating those remarks, adding fact-checks and analysis in real time.

Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He's expected to field questions about Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, the ongoing investigation of Russian contacts with Trump campaign and administrative officials, and the dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey.

NPR News and WRVO will be providing live coverage of the hearing starting at 2:30 p.m. on-air. Tune in across central and northern New York or online.

The NPR Politics team will live blog the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearings on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. The live blog will include streaming video, with posts featuring highlights, context and analysis from NPR reporters and correspondents (below).

This live blog will update when proceedings begin on Tuesday, March 21. Although it is not yet confirmed, the hearings are anticipated to begin at 9 a.m.

The week of March 20 is expected to be a busy one on Capitol Hill, as high-profile hearings take place in the House and Senate.

On Monday, March 20, the House Intelligence Committee is holding a hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. FBI Director James Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, are among those being called to testify. The hearing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28, President Donald Trump will deliver his address to a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m.

WRVO will be providing live, special coverage from NPR of the President's speech as well as the Democratic response, hosted by Audie Cornish. This will be the first address to Congress of Trump's presidency. Analysis will be provided by White House correspondent Scott Horsley, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, national correspondent John Burnett and Congressional correspondent Sue Davis.

President Barack Obama will hold a press conference Friday in the White House briefing room. It will be his final press conference of 2014, before leaving Washington for the holidays. The president is expected to answer questions on a range of topics, including U.S. relations with Cuba, the recent Sony Corporation hacking story and more.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation tonight at 8 p.m. from the White House. He will unveil executive actions on immigration.

WRVO and NPR will provide live anchored special coverage with Melissa Block, including the president's speech and analysis, starting at 8 p.m. Block will be joined in studio by Mara Liasson, political correspondent; Tamara Keith, White House correspondent; Ron Elving, senior Washington editor; and Juana Summers, congressional reporter. John Burnett, national correspondent, will join in from Texas.